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fandomweekly2025-01-12 08:13 pm
quicksilverfox3) wrote in fandomweekly2025-01-12 08:13 pm
Entry tags:
[#245] moonlight reflection (SVSSS)
Theme Prompt: #245 - Werewolves
Title: moonlight reflection
Fandom: Scum Villain Self Saving System
Rating/Warnings: T, Minor violence (animal death)
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 997
Summary: After a mission, there's a supposed moment of stillness between Shen Yuan and Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu flicks his fan out in front of his face, regarding Shen Yuan beneath the pinch of his lashes. His reflection in the wavering surface of the pond stretches out further than he typically can in the confines of standard mirrors, the gleam of Xiu Ya, and there’s a bite of satisfaction in his eyes, the very edge of his sharp grin. “This master is delighted that his instruction is not going to waste.”
“They were amazing.” Shen Yuan’s hands ache, the matching bloodless pulse of pain in his thighs. His body may be used to this level of exertion—barely, given the reputation the Shen Qingqiu had pruned and maintained—but Shen Yuan is not. His thoughts trip over the torn silk from his robes, the splash of moonlight across the bank of the pond that stops at the pile of tangled limbs and thick fur; the flash of Shen Qingqiu’s gaze peering past the now-tangled braid they wear to track their passage.
“And what—“ Shen Qingqiu snaps his fan closed, resting it against his lower lip as he speaks. “—does your floating box say?” His gaze isn’t focused on Shen Yuan, deliberately tilted in the close quarters to his left. The system bounces merrily to Shen Yuan’s right, unconcerned, the typical message of ‘Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations’ drifting from corner to corner.
Shen Yuan leans closer to the surface of the pond, the dry grass rustling against his legs and scratching his exposed skin. Shen Qingqiu mimics the movement, ethereally graceful even when inflicted with Shen Yuan’s shortcomings, studying him like an ant that had crawled onto his boot. The added height only adds to the illusion, the moonlight catching on the water until Shen Qingqiu shines.
“The floating box didn’t tell me anything. Is it so hard to believe that I know about Giant Moon Wolves all by myself?”
Shen Qinqiu scoffs, the drag of his gaze slow and deliberate, as he rakes it over Shen Yuan. “If this master didn’t know better, he would have thought you had been brawling in the street with those brutes.”
‘Those brutes’ could cover any variety of people from their shared martial siblings to the vast sprawl of everyday people their conjoined lives brush against. Shen Yuan takes his best guess regardless.
“This student hopes his master would be aware that if they were sparring with Bai Zhan Peak students, then he would be as exactingly devastating as would be befitting a master of Qing Jing Peak.”
Shen Qinqiu doesn’t laugh, but the edges of his gaze soften, his head inclined slightly to one side. He folds his hands in his lap, the torn hem of his robes only transforming the action into a deliberate work of art. “Better.”
Shen Yuan grins, relaxing the tight threads of control pierced through his lips, the pinch of his brow, just for a moment. Everything had taken adjustment, a pot forced to contain far more than it had ever been meant to handle, but they had settled into an uneasy equilibrium, Shen Yuan piloting their body through the world and Shen Qingqiu, his judgemental beautiful reflection.
“List the properties of the pelts for this master,” Shen Qingqiu says. He’s uncharacteristically relaxed in the reflection, his fan folded and resting against his cheek, moonlight dappling across his skin and turning his eyes pale.
Shen Yuan clasps his hands in his lap, his shoulders square. He can’t see his own reflection with Shen Qingqiu wearing their face so he has no way of knowing the devout gleam that settles over his features, a student worshipping at an altar he built with blood and tears. “The pelts of the Giant Moon Wolves are unique for their colouration, typically being shades of pale grey that is close to silver, and for their cultivation properties. It is thought—and this is only partially correct—that wearing the pelt for nine days will steady an unstable core.”
Shen Yuan pauses, looking out across the surface of the lake and letting his vision blur. Like this, the world fragments into shards of bisected silver and he could almost be back in his world, shivering slightly in the early evening chill as he bleeds his intention through his phone, his rage at the sheer potential lost in the chapter update of Proud Immortal Demon Way. “It’s the blood of the wolf that offers the greatest benefit and drawback as it’s highly toxic when untreated. Exposure can stabilise a core but it could also—“
A beep of warning echoes from the System, Shen Yuan turning towards it. There’s a moment as he stares at the words without understanding them, text splayed over the screen in bold letters.
Mandatory Quest ‘It’s Behind You’ activated.
The grass rustles behind him, the immediate heavy press of eyes locked onto his back, the fragrant evening air sour with rotting meat. No time to move, barely enough time to breathe, and Shen Yuan turns to Shen Qingqiu. He doesn’t know why, only that he’s glad he isn’t dying alone this time.
Silver blurs past him, sharp enough to slice the air and the sound isn’t a scream, it’s a snarl, the sound of furious desperation that rips from a human throat and leaves blood behind. The wolf is huge, the coat dark in the shadows that cling to, and it howls as the disembodied hands claw at its face, thumbs pressed through the soft swell of its eyes. It’s a messy kill, wretched and final.
“Don’t move.”
Shen Yuan obeys, his gaze locked on the gently steaming maw of the dead wolf, blood splattered across it’s teeth. Shen Qingqiu draws the messy braid free, carding spectral fingers through it. He works carefully, barely tugging at the tangles as he weaves the strands back together.
“Now, this student is presentable,” Shen Qinqiu murmurs as his touch falls away. In the pond, he peers around the edge of the fan, a smear of blood over the curve of his thumb.
Title: moonlight reflection
Fandom: Scum Villain Self Saving System
Rating/Warnings: T, Minor violence (animal death)
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 997
Summary: After a mission, there's a supposed moment of stillness between Shen Yuan and Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu flicks his fan out in front of his face, regarding Shen Yuan beneath the pinch of his lashes. His reflection in the wavering surface of the pond stretches out further than he typically can in the confines of standard mirrors, the gleam of Xiu Ya, and there’s a bite of satisfaction in his eyes, the very edge of his sharp grin. “This master is delighted that his instruction is not going to waste.”
“They were amazing.” Shen Yuan’s hands ache, the matching bloodless pulse of pain in his thighs. His body may be used to this level of exertion—barely, given the reputation the Shen Qingqiu had pruned and maintained—but Shen Yuan is not. His thoughts trip over the torn silk from his robes, the splash of moonlight across the bank of the pond that stops at the pile of tangled limbs and thick fur; the flash of Shen Qingqiu’s gaze peering past the now-tangled braid they wear to track their passage.
“And what—“ Shen Qingqiu snaps his fan closed, resting it against his lower lip as he speaks. “—does your floating box say?” His gaze isn’t focused on Shen Yuan, deliberately tilted in the close quarters to his left. The system bounces merrily to Shen Yuan’s right, unconcerned, the typical message of ‘Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations’ drifting from corner to corner.
Shen Yuan leans closer to the surface of the pond, the dry grass rustling against his legs and scratching his exposed skin. Shen Qingqiu mimics the movement, ethereally graceful even when inflicted with Shen Yuan’s shortcomings, studying him like an ant that had crawled onto his boot. The added height only adds to the illusion, the moonlight catching on the water until Shen Qingqiu shines.
“The floating box didn’t tell me anything. Is it so hard to believe that I know about Giant Moon Wolves all by myself?”
Shen Qinqiu scoffs, the drag of his gaze slow and deliberate, as he rakes it over Shen Yuan. “If this master didn’t know better, he would have thought you had been brawling in the street with those brutes.”
‘Those brutes’ could cover any variety of people from their shared martial siblings to the vast sprawl of everyday people their conjoined lives brush against. Shen Yuan takes his best guess regardless.
“This student hopes his master would be aware that if they were sparring with Bai Zhan Peak students, then he would be as exactingly devastating as would be befitting a master of Qing Jing Peak.”
Shen Qinqiu doesn’t laugh, but the edges of his gaze soften, his head inclined slightly to one side. He folds his hands in his lap, the torn hem of his robes only transforming the action into a deliberate work of art. “Better.”
Shen Yuan grins, relaxing the tight threads of control pierced through his lips, the pinch of his brow, just for a moment. Everything had taken adjustment, a pot forced to contain far more than it had ever been meant to handle, but they had settled into an uneasy equilibrium, Shen Yuan piloting their body through the world and Shen Qingqiu, his judgemental beautiful reflection.
“List the properties of the pelts for this master,” Shen Qingqiu says. He’s uncharacteristically relaxed in the reflection, his fan folded and resting against his cheek, moonlight dappling across his skin and turning his eyes pale.
Shen Yuan clasps his hands in his lap, his shoulders square. He can’t see his own reflection with Shen Qingqiu wearing their face so he has no way of knowing the devout gleam that settles over his features, a student worshipping at an altar he built with blood and tears. “The pelts of the Giant Moon Wolves are unique for their colouration, typically being shades of pale grey that is close to silver, and for their cultivation properties. It is thought—and this is only partially correct—that wearing the pelt for nine days will steady an unstable core.”
Shen Yuan pauses, looking out across the surface of the lake and letting his vision blur. Like this, the world fragments into shards of bisected silver and he could almost be back in his world, shivering slightly in the early evening chill as he bleeds his intention through his phone, his rage at the sheer potential lost in the chapter update of Proud Immortal Demon Way. “It’s the blood of the wolf that offers the greatest benefit and drawback as it’s highly toxic when untreated. Exposure can stabilise a core but it could also—“
A beep of warning echoes from the System, Shen Yuan turning towards it. There’s a moment as he stares at the words without understanding them, text splayed over the screen in bold letters.
Mandatory Quest ‘It’s Behind You’ activated.
The grass rustles behind him, the immediate heavy press of eyes locked onto his back, the fragrant evening air sour with rotting meat. No time to move, barely enough time to breathe, and Shen Yuan turns to Shen Qingqiu. He doesn’t know why, only that he’s glad he isn’t dying alone this time.
Silver blurs past him, sharp enough to slice the air and the sound isn’t a scream, it’s a snarl, the sound of furious desperation that rips from a human throat and leaves blood behind. The wolf is huge, the coat dark in the shadows that cling to, and it howls as the disembodied hands claw at its face, thumbs pressed through the soft swell of its eyes. It’s a messy kill, wretched and final.
“Don’t move.”
Shen Yuan obeys, his gaze locked on the gently steaming maw of the dead wolf, blood splattered across it’s teeth. Shen Qingqiu draws the messy braid free, carding spectral fingers through it. He works carefully, barely tugging at the tangles as he weaves the strands back together.
“Now, this student is presentable,” Shen Qinqiu murmurs as his touch falls away. In the pond, he peers around the edge of the fan, a smear of blood over the curve of his thumb.
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